Metal Blade Records – Page 45

Dark Funeral – The Secrets of the Black Arts – Review

March 1, 1998

In the hyperspeed drumming/blurred run-together riffs/screaming vocals semi-buried in the mix vein of non-keyboard black metal, Dark Funeral is dark and eerie.

Crisis – The Hollowing – Review

March 1, 1998

Vocally, Karyn Crisis shreds her innards, creating horrific imagery with tone, texture, timing, as well as with the words themselves.

Thought Industry – Black Umbrella – Review

September 1, 1997

You can fuck to it, drink to it, declare a point of grave creation, sit in exile under fist over lecture, or stare at a dark wall with a gun in your underwear.

Galactic Cowboys – The Horse That Bud Bought – Review

September 1, 1997

Somewhere in my intentionally-blurred memories of the late ’80s, I remember this kind of ploddingly melodic heavy metal/hard rock being popular.

Flotsam and Jetsam – High – Review

September 1, 1997

I can’t vouch for their return to form, nor the benefits to humanity if they did.

Fates Warning – A Pleasant Shade of Gray – Review

September 1, 1997

A Pleasant Shade of Gray is a crystallized dream, an atmospheric wonder filled with the tricky time changes only Fates or Rush could tackle successfully.

Divine Regale – Ocean Mind – Review

September 1, 1997

More from the post-metal, pre-Floydian slip of Queensrÿchian rule, Divine Regale write songs, dammit, songs!

Gwar – Carnival of Chaos – Interview

June 1, 1997

An interview with Oderous Urungus

Grip Inc. – Nemisis – Review

April 1, 1997

Fist-bang favorites, time changes, key changes, and while-my-guitar-gently-weeps-through-lots-of-effects, with Lombardo’s heavy tribal drumming influences.

Broken Hope – Loathing – Review

April 1, 1997

It’s hard to tell if a given song by Broken Hope is doing anything particularly interesting, but hell, it sure sounds like it’s taking the world by storm.